Axl Rose
by Aria6
Summary: The story of Axl's long lost origins... and his twin brother, Rose. Watch as they meet and interesting things unfold.
1. Chapter 1

The motor home plugged away tenaciously, making its way down the Nevada road. Dust flew up in flurries as it passed by, coating anything unlucky enough to be nearby the road. Which was nothing. Not many things were insane enough to venture out in the noon day heat, in the middle of nowhere.

Inside the motor home was the clutter of six people making a home out of a space meant for four. Complicated by enough equipment to power a small rocket launch, packing into the corners and pulled out for entertainment.

On one of the cots was a small, frail looking young Reploid. He was spasming and twitching in ways that would have made most medical Reploids get very professional… at least, until they noticed the headphones stuck firmly into his ears. He was having a rhythmic fit. His hair was an orange red, and very spiky. If he were human a bottle of hair gel would have died to achieve it, but being a Reploid had advantages in that area. He was out of armor, wearing nothing but pajamas with jolly duckies waddling across them.

Three of his friends were clustered in the rest of the space. A very pretty young human girl was playing a video game against a spectacularly ugly Reploid male in dark green armor. If he'd been human, he would have been considered evidence for the Neanderthal mating with modern man theory. The girl laughed, tossing her sandy blonde pony tail as she was winning, then groaned at a sudden reversal. The third person was asleep on a nearby cot, preparing for his stint at the driver's wheel of the motor home. He was a middle-aged human, with dark skin and black hair. The two driving were a pair of cute little blonde Reploids, a male and a female. They both had orange and silver armor, in the same general style of Rockman X. Very generic, but they had a pronounced resemblance to each other. They had been designed to be siblings, and had embraced that identity.

The Reploid on the bed sighed as his song drew to a close, and pushed himself up on one arm, pulling out an earphone. "Pamela? Patrick? How close are we?"

"Another two days, Rose," the male answered. "Like last time you asked. However, it should only be two hours before we reach Purity."

"Purity…" Rose sighed, scratching an ear. "Well, we should be able to get munchies there. We're almost out of chips."

"Chipless," the male Reploid at the video game agreed. "Like animals."

"That'd be because you ate the last of them, Thing." The girl beside him said with a snort, and Rose grinned. That was actually the other Reploids name. Which made him feel a little better, being a male Reploid named Rose. Then the reality sank in.

"You mean, we're totally chipless? Not just semi-chipless? That sucks!" He exclaimed.

"Keep your voice down, Rose, you'll wake up Gerrick." The girl scolded him, shooting a glance at the sleeping human. Rose hissed, but lowered his voice.

"We better hope the convenience store has chips, June." Then he sighed, flopping back down on his bed. "Ugh. I'm going to try to sleep." The life of a traveling band could be quite boring… even when they were about to hit the big time. Or perhaps especially right before they hit the big time.

Their band had finally cut an excellent record deal, and they were going to Las Vegas to film the music videos in some spectacular locations and play at one of the major casinos. Rose was really pleased with the opportunity, and not a bit nervous. None of them were nervous. They'd been on the road for a full year, and every bit of stage nerves had been burnt out a long time ago. They'd even been on big stages before. This was just another.

Rose closed his eyes, meaning to rest a bit… and snorted awake as the motor home rolled to a halt. He rubbed his eyes, sitting up, then blinked as he realized…

"Chips!" He bolted out the back, and jogged up to the convenience store counter as Patrick started filling up the motor home with gas. Thing and June followed, making the cashier look at them in alarm. "What kind of chips, guys?"

"Tex-Mex Doritos." June said promptly, pulling two bags off the shelf. Thing went for some all natural, baked potato chips. Rose took several bags of onion and dill potato chips, then a twelve pack of Dr. Pepper. He thoughtfully added several large bottles of Artesian Well water. "We better get some Cheetos for Gerrick, or he'll skin us alive."

"Mmm, good point." Thing passed over a few as Pamela tripped into the store, quickly adding a half dozen bags of Twinkies and a couple boxes of Ding Dongs. The clerk shook his head in amazement at the pile.

"Wow, one heck of a party, huh?" Rose shook his head with a grin, paying for their things with his one and only credit card. If everything came out well, he'd be able to pay it off soon. If not… not.

They hauled everything back to the truck, and soon Rose was lying on his cot again. Unlike Pamela, Patrick, Gerrick and Thing, he and June had no license for vehicles of this level. Although Rose was cleared for a hoverbike, for what that was worth. So he had very little to do besides sleep, eat, and compose new songs.

"…" Rose suddenly sat bolt upright and grabbed a piece of paper, jotting down lyrics as inspiration came to him. This whole situation could make a good song! Not for their next performance, but they always needed new material.

New songs could make or break a band…

"Las Vegas!" Axl beamed, looking over the neon. Zero slapped him on the back with a grin.

The two Hunters were standing on the top of a nearby building, gazing down at the main strip and all the casinos. They had gotten up there by the simplest method… kicking their way up. If anyone had noticed, they hadn't dared protest. Zero's ponytail was very recognizable. Axl was sure if it had just been him, he would have been shouted at.

"I can't believe X passed this up," Zero said as he gazed over the bright lights appreciatively. Axl tilted his head enquiringly.

"Didn't you come here with him before?" he asked innocently. "And wasn't there an accident with a stripper, some whipped cream and a cherry?" X hadn't told him the details… X hadn't told anyone the details… but Axl had overheard him mumbling about the cherry. From the context of the mutters, Axl had been left to wonder exactly where the cherry had ended up. Something about getting a grip on the stem… Zero actually blushed, and looked away with a cough.

"Well, anyway," the red Hunter said briskly, and Axl grinned. He really would HAVE to get the full story out of X someday. It had to be good, to embarrass Zero! "We have reservations down at the Caesar." Zero grinned, recovering some of his usual attitude. "I just LOVE all the naked statues." Axl's eyes widened.

"Really? Naked statues?" Zero laughed, and nodded.

"Oh sure, it's authentic Greek and Roman stuff. They went for authenticity," Zero said, then smacked Axl on the back again. "C'mon, kid, let's go put our stuff in our rooms." Then he grinned evilly. "And see about finding some cherries, just for you." Axl gulped, then grinned tentatively. He was sure it was a joke.

Well, fairly sure, anyway.

Soon, they strolled casually into Caesar's Palace. Zero ignored the jaws dropping around them with practiced ease, as the humans and Reploid gamblers turned to stare. It wasn't every day a pair of world class Hunters graced a casino with their presence. The clerk at the desk beamed nervously, but Zero quickly set her at ease.

"Hello, lovely, I'm Zero and this is Axl. We have reservations for the penthouse?" Zero's charming smile and flirting tone made the receptionist smile more naturally, and nod.

"Yes, sir!" She gestured to a bellhop, but Zero shook his head.

"We can carry our things, darling. How about just the room key?" She bobbed her head, handing over the magnetized cards for the door. "Thanks, ducky."

As soon as they were out of earshot, Axl said to Zero, "Ducky?" Zero shrugged, his golden hair shuddering with the movement.

"She liked it, didn't she?" he replied. Axl sniggered.

"Yeah, but didn't you get that from Dr. Cain?"

"And so what if I did?" The cheerful wrangling continued as they took the elevator up to the penthouse. Soon, their suitcases were safely in the room, and Axl and Zero decided to explore the casino.

"Oh WOW!" Axl looked at the fountain, enchanted. "This is SO pretty!" Zero grinned at his enthusiasm. The fountain was outdoors, with statues of what looked like white marble and jets of water, with lights in strategic spots to add to the effect.

"That statue there is Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea. Those winged horses are Pegasus." Zero said sagely, and Axl nodded, eyes wide. The fact that Zero didn't know much about what he was spouting was lost on the impressionable young Hunter.

"C'mon, let's go hit the slot machines." Zero finally broke into Axl's reverie. "We've got a lot of money to waste!" Zero saw no point at all in saving his wages. What was he going to do, retire? Not unless a Maverick did it for him. Axl smiled up at him. He saw just as little point in saving as Zero. The two Hunters went off to see what Las Vegas had to offer…


	2. Chapter 2

"Okay guys," Rose said, adjusting the tuning of his guitar. "Let's do a few songs to warm up." The random, clashing sounds of each person playing their own version of scales broke off as they turned to look at him.

Pamela and Patrick were in their orange and silver armor, and Patrick was holding a violin while Pamela held a silver flute. Not at all the usual instruments for a rock band, even one verging on pop. But Rose thought it made their sound unique, especially since there were ingenious amplifiers in both instruments. Rose had met them busking on the streets for coins, and had been impressed by their skill. It had turned out the siblings had been orchestral players… until the orchestra went bankrupt. Sometimes, instead of playing, they both backed him up on vocals. They were excellent singers, with voices that were pure and sweet.

The other players were more conventional in their choice of instruments. Gerrick was warming up his bass guitar. His outfit was all black leather, with silver chains. June was handling the keyboards and other electronic effects, which could sometimes be a difficult spot, depending on the song. Her shirt was brilliantly tie-dyed, and she was wearing a denim skirt. Thing was on the drums, one of the worlds' natural drummers, still in his green armor. And Rose, of course, handled the guitar and vocals.

He considered what song to play, reaching up to touch the scars between his eyes. It was an old nervous gesture. He was in his armor, too, and it practically screamed 'Unique! Combat model!' Not something he appreciated… but it was his. And if everything went down the crapper again, he'd be glad of it and his guns.

"Why don't we start with, 'My Momma Made me to Rock and Roll?'" June suggested, playing a quick series of notes on her keyboard. Rose grinned, and strummed a chord.

"Sure!" Soon, they were making glorious music. Rose smiled happily. The magic was with them tonight.

The concert was only in an hour. Soon, they'd be blowing everyone's socks off.

* * *

"A concert!" Axl bounced up on the balls of his feet, trying to get a better look at the stage. "I've never been to a concert before!" Zero grinned at the obvious enthusiasm.

It was day three of their vacation, and Zero had managed to score some tickets to a popular concert. It was an open air concert, and fortunately, the weather was mild. The band playing was one of Axl's favorites… the Leaping Frogs. Zero thought their name was retarded, but the music was good. Zero looked at a flyer someone had handed him they walked in.

"The warm up band is Rose Thorn." Zero paused, thinking about that. "Rose Thorn and the Leaping Frogs. Hahaha… the plant and animal show!" Axl snickered, then grinned.

"I've never heard of Rose Thorn," he said, looking towards the stage. "Do you think we can get closer?"

"Sure." Zero started making his way through the crowds. Most of the fans took one look at his armor, and made room for him. Everyone could recognize Zero on sight, and even those who didn't like him weren't willing to tangle with him. But most of the audience made way simply out of respect.

Soon, Axl tugged on Zero's arm. "This is close enough." He didn't actually want to be really, really close to the stage… and there could be trouble if Zero tried to force it that far. The people right by the stage had gotten there by staking out their spots a long time earlier, and wouldn't give them up willingly. They were the hard core fans.

Axl beamed, waiting for the band to come on stage. He'd never heard of Rose Thorn before, but he was sure they would be okay… as the warm up act, anyway. Warm up acts were usually younger, beginning bands, but the Leaping Frogs were so popular that being their warm up act was pretty prestigious.

"Ladies and Gentlemen… Rose Thorn!" The stage lights came up, and Axl cheered with everyone as the band entered the stage…

Then choked. He could vaguely hear Zero gasp, but his attention was riveted to the Reploid taking the main spot on the stage. A light illuminated each member… there was no way anyone could avoid seeing him.

It was… Axl. There was no difference between them whatsoever. The armor was the same, the eyes, the scars… Axl stared, starting to feel a little faint as his double onstage strummed his guitar, sending rolling sound over the audience. He flashed them all a grin, the same grin Axl saw in the mirror every morning.

"Viva Las Vegas!" His double yelled out, waving to the crowd. There was cheers and whistles from the audience. "I'm Rose, and we're Rose Thorn! Anyone want to make something of it?" He strummed another cord, and the crowd laughed. Then the band launched into a song.

Zero poked Axl in the shoulder as Axl stood stunned. "You said you didn't know who created you?" Zero nodded towards the stage. "I'd say there's a big clue right up there."

"Yeah…" Axl said softly, staring at the stage. Seeing a double of himself was terribly strange. Even sibling Reploids had some differences, often large differences, to differentiate them from each other. Even Reploids meant to replicate identical twins usually had different armor so they weren't constantly mistaken for each other. What could his creator have been thinking to just… duplicate him?

Although he'd never picked up a guitar in his life. And who would name a male Reploid Rose?

"Could he be a girl?" Axl suddenly asked Zero, who blinked, then eyed the Reploid on stage sharply.

"…No way," he judged. "His voice is male, and I don't think there could be boobs under his armor. Weird that he's named Rose, though." Zero frowned. "Weirder that he looks just like you."

"Yeah…" Axl swallowed hard, hardly managing to appreciate the first song, even though it was the kind of exuberant, energetic music he enjoyed. He hadn't anticipated suddenly running into a clue about his past at a concert.

But soon, the music took him into its spell. And Axl wasn't generally given to introspection, so he started to get into the fun as much as the rest of the crowd. It helped that the music was very, very good.

Rose Thorn worked together seamlessly. The girl playing the flute would often slap it against her waist, where it stuck firmly to her armor, then join the lead singer in the singing. They did a duet in a modern love song, which was equally touching and grim. The boy playing the violin was an expert at weaving his sound in with the rest, adding poignancy to the sad songs and energy to the lively ones. The bass was thumping, the drums were carrying the beat and the electronic sound effects verged on explosive.

But what really made the band was the lead singer, Axl's double. His singing voice was unique. Very young, yes, but with a rough burr that made him sound much older. It was a voice that could never have succeeded in opera, but the unique sound was very appealing in rock and roll. And the kid was gifted with the guitar, and had a ton of stage presence. He moved around the stage relentlessly but naturally, drawing everyone's attention in. Axl was enchanted.

That wasn't to say they were perfect. No, they were still a young band, just starting out. But it was obvious why they had been picked to warm up the stage for the Leaping Frogs.

When the Leaping Frogs finally came out, Axl cheered as loudly as everyone else. But he reminded himself to get onto Zero right away tomorrow, and find out more about Rose and his band, Rose Thorn.

* * *

"Get up, Zero! Up up UP!" Axl pounced on the sleeping Reploid, shaking his shoulders.

"Wha… ghh… godDAMN it, Axl, what time is it?" Zero tried to ignore Axl, pulling his covers tighter around him. He'd been up late last night, and the bed was nice and warm…

"It's ten AM, and it's time you got UP!" Axl grinned maniacally, and tore the covers right off the bed, making Zero scream.

"Axl you BASTARD!" A wide-eyed Axl got a glimpse of… a great deal more than he had expected, before Zero snatched the blankets back and jerked them over his waist.

"You sleep in the nude?"

"Get out! NOW!" A pillow followed Axl's quick retreat, as the youngster started giggling hysterically. Soon, an irate Zero walked out of his room, decently clothed.

"Now what do you want?" He said irritably, grabbing a piece of toast from a plate on the table. Axl had obviously ordered a huge breakfast not too long ago, and eaten most of it. Axl beamed at Zero, looking far too awake and cheerful for even 10 AM in the morning.

"We were going to find out about Rose Thorn! Remember? Investigation?" Zero groaned, and mentally kissed a tour of the Las Vegas nightclubs goodbye. Unless they were lucky, finding the band would probably take all day.

"Alright, fine. Let's go." Zero started out, grumbling something about retarded children. Axl cheerfully ignored it, content that Zero was pointed in the right direction.

Zero was right about it taking all day, though. Everybody knew of the band, and some people had even seen them, but it seemed like they were always just a bit too late.

"Ah, I remember! That cute little boy, looked just like him?" The server, a lively young Japanese-American woman, pointed at Axl. Axl blushed. "He ordered an omelette."

"Mmm, that's nice, but do you know where they were going, lovely?" Zero asked in his best 'chatting up the girl' tone of voice. The waitress giggled, smiling up at him.

"They said something about going to the Y for a swim. But that was a while ago, I don't know if they would still be there."

"Thanks, ducky," Zero said with a smile as he and Axl left the restaurant.

"You did it again," Axl remarked, and Zero tilted his head. "You called her ducky."

"Oh, give it a rest…" Zero snorted, sticking his nose in the air. "You're just jealous of my skill with the ladies." Axl giggled, dashing ahead of his friend. "Hey!"

Cheerfully wrangling and racing, they arrived at the Y. And while everyone remembered them, the band wasn't there. But they found a lifeguard who remembered them.

"Hmm… I think there was a group in here with a redhead. They had this really big, ugly dude, a Reploid I think, and he kept sinking in the pool. Sound like them?" Axl nodded enthusiastically, remembering the drummer. "I think they said something about going back to their hotel. Uh… geez, what was it?" The lifeguard glanced around with a frown. "Misha was talking to them… hey Misha! That guy you were chatting up, d'you know where they were going?"

"Zak's Hotel and Grill!" She called from her seat in the hot tub, tossing back blond hair. "Down by the south side, look for roaches the size of small dogs, you can't miss it."

"I sure HOPE that's an exaggeration," Axl said as he and Zero were leaving. Zero shrugged.

"Oh, it has to be. Probably. If they haven't been dumping chemicals." Zero said, and Axl winced.

"Okay, that's reassuring… not…" This time, they caught a taxi… the south side would have taken them a long time to reach, and Zero had no idea where Zak's Hotel and Grill was. The cab driver seemed to know the address very well, though, and soon they were looking at a building so far gone to decay that the only thing holding it together was paint.

"Wow, this place hasn't been condemned yet?" Axl gazed up at it, appalled. "And what's with that sign?" It was a neon spectacle that made the rest of the strip look tasteful… and one letter was missing, which turned it from garish to just pathetic.

"Hmm, no small dog roaches. They are pretty big though." Zero said thoughtfully, looking around the hotel as they stepped inside. "Must be a breeding program going."

"Can I help you?" A very old woman behind the front desk said, brisk and unfriendly. She gave Zero a fishy look, and Axl suppressed a giggle. He was willing to bet the red hunter had met his match in the charm department.

"Yes, darling, we-" Zero didn't get very far before she cut him off.

"Margaret!" She barked, and Zero blinked, nonplussed. "I'm old enough to be your grandmother. I'm Margaret, not darling, whippersnapper!" Axl couldn't hold in a giggle, and Zero gave him a scorching look. Then he turned his attention back to the old lady.

"Margaret… we're looking for a group, a band, with a kid who looks like this one in it." Zero motioned for Axl, who stepped forward obligingly. The woman gazed at him from over her glasses, as if she was thinking about it, then snorted.

"I'm sure I couldn't remember," she said haughtily, and Axl grinned. He was sure she remembered down to the last second. Zero looked about ready to get really angry, when Axl decided to try his own version of charm.

"Are you sure? He's my brother and we've been separated a long time so I'm looking for him…" Axl widened his eyes, trying to look cute and innocent. The old woman's lips twitched, then she seemed to soften a little. Axl guessed she had a grandchild who used the cute card to get his way.

"Well, maybe… we have a group in room 27 who brought in a lot of equipment, the slobs. You can go talk to the maids, if you want." She gestured towards the rooms, which was more of a concession than she'd given Zero.

"How did you do that?" Zero asked Axl, annoyed, as soon as they were out of earshot. The younger Hunter grinned.

"I'm just that cute!" He answered cheerfully.

"Hmph. Well, you can have the old ladies, I'll keep the young ones…" Soon, they found a maid who was hard at work picking up what looked like dried vomit. "Hi, honey. Can you tell me about the people in room 27?" They'd already tried the door, and no one had answered.

"The band?" She answered. "Sure, they're off cutting a record at Hibichi studios, downtown." Zero groaned, and Axl snickered.

Downtown was where they had started originally. They'd come full circle.

"Well, let's go!" Axl dashed off. "I feel good about this one!" He was sure they would finally find the band at the studios…


	3. Chapter 3

"A one… two… one two three four…" Rose started to play, singing into the microphone. "My momma loves me and she made me to Rock and Roll…" It was their third time playing this song. In the studio, unlike a live performance, they had the luxury of trying to get a perfect performance.

Rose smiled, closing his eyes and just enjoying the playing. Music was a joy to him, it was always a joy. A lot of work, yes, but also his passion, and the others felt the same way. To lesser degrees, but they were all dedicated to getting the sound.

Pamela pulled off a stunning arpeggio, so it sounded like her flute was laughing. Rose grinned. That wasn't technically part of the song, but it had come at the right spot to sound just wonderful. This would be the one!

They concluded the song with a flourish, and the director's voice came through over the intercom.

"Excellent, excellent! Perfect! Now, could you come out for a moment? There's some Hunters here to see you." The band exchanged wide-eyed, surprised looks, and Pamela blew a questioning thrill on her flute.

"What could Hunters want with us?" June said, caught off guard… then she grinned wickedly. "Thing, have you not been telling us something?"

"Hey!" He protested, and everyone laughed. "Stop making fun of me." Rose smiled, slinging his guitar over his back and stepping out of the recording studio.

And he stopped, his thoughts and expression congealing as he saw who was standing there.

"Hi, I'm Axl," The Hunter said cheerfully, offering one hand to shake. Rose just stared at it, then back up at Axl's face.

_…Smoke, dust, terrible smells… explosions…_

_"Mama? Mama!" A hard hand, grabbing his arm and lifting him up. "No, let me go!"_

_"Axl! Hahaha, Red's going to love this!"_

_"No! MAMA!"_

_…Red blood on red hair, blood on his fingers, dirt dust smoke…_

"You…" Rose said softly, the pupils of his eyes contracting to pinpoints. "They killed mama because of you… They were looking for YOU!" Rose suddenly shrieked, and launched himself at a startled Axl.

"Rose, NO!" June shouted, but he was trying too hard to strangle Axl to care. "Thing, get him off!" The larger Reploid pushed past Pamela and Patrick, who were staring, frozen. Zero had also been briefly frozen, but then started forward to help pry away the hysterical Reploid. "Thing, get him out of here!" Thing nodded to June, and pulled Rose back into the recording room. Axl stared after him, coughing and rubbing his throat.

"What… why did he…?" Axl said, shaken, as Zero stood over him protectively. June glanced around, seeing everyone staring at her… and swore sulfurously.

"Patrick, Pamela, Gerrick, go with Thing and try to calm Rose down. You two come with me! Amy, is there a private room around here?" One of the sound technicians bobbed her head.

"Uh, should I phone the cops?" The director asked nervously. He wanted to get the record cut, but assaulting a Hunter had dire consequences.

"No!" June snapped, and the director glanced at Zero, who made a 'forget about it' gesture with one hand. "Come on, and I'll explain. I've known Rose all his life." That made Axl look at her with wide-eyes.

Soon, the three of them were in a private room. It was an office, cluttered with papers and equipment, but they all managed to find seats.

"You knew him? What can you tell me about my creator?" Axl started to question her as soon as they sat down. June took a deep breath, and her lips tightened into a sour line.

"Everything you want to know, and a lot you didn't. I was her lab assistant." A slightly wicked grin crossed her face, and she pulled a gold necklace out of her shirt… with what looked like a plastic memory card hanging off it. "I still have the key."

"Key to what?" Axl's eyes went wider, if it was possible. June's smile softened a bit, and Zero hid a smirk. Even this tough young woman wasn't proof against Axl's cuteness. She only shrugged, though, and tucked the key back into her shirt.

"Everything. Look, why don't I just tell you why Rose tried to choke you to death?"

"Uh, sure." Axl and Zero listened, interested, as the story unfolded…

* * *

_"June, go fetch me a cup of coffee, would you?" June sighed, but stopped playing with her keyboard. She was Dr. Kristina's gopher as well as part of her chief project. Fortunately, it paid very, very well._

_"Right away, Doctor." She said obediently, and listened for a moment, hearing the strains of a guitar. Rose was sitting on the front doorsteps, playing the guitar. He liked having fresh audiences, and while most people didn't stop to listen, there was usually at least one who did… and to Rose, that made it all worthwhile. June smiled, and walked to the kitchenette at the back of the lab. Rose was part of what made her job worthwhile._

_As she was pouring the coffee, the music abruptly cut off. That didn't bother her. A million and one things could have caught Rose's attention. He was still new, and the world was a wonder to him. Then the front door slammed shut, and she looked up with a frown. Peeking through the doorway, she saw Dr. Kristina look up from her work, startled. The doctor was a heavy set, middle-aged woman with orange-red hair. For all the differences in their builds, though, anyone looking at them would have thought she and Rose were related. They had similar facial features, and the doctor had a very similar, impish smile when she was amused._

_"Mama, there are Mavericks down the street! They're tearing it up!" Rose had both his guns out, June noticed with alarm. She gasped, and began to back away. June had no real illusions about Rose protecting them. He was a very intelligent boy, and he had a great deal of combat programming and native ability. He had also been activated three months ago. Even X and Zero couldn't have learned it all that fast, and Rose had been learning to play as well as shoot._

_Then the front wall exploded inward, and June fled. There were stairs… she dove down into the basement as the roof collapsed…_

* * *

"Rose dug me out, maybe four hours later." June said with a sigh. "He was a mess. His left arm was almost severed, and it looked like someone had beaten him with a lamppost. All the poor kid could say was that they were looking for Axl, and they killed mama." She gave Axl a sharp glance. "The Mavericks were Red Alert's goons. I'm sure you can guess what they thought when they saw Rose." Axl flinched, dropping his eyes.

"I… I'm sorry." He whispered softly, feeling horribly guilty. He hadn't meant to cause this pain for his duplicate… but in a way, he had been responsible for the tragedy that had befallen Rose and their creator. Zero touched his back.

"It's not your fault, Axl. You had no idea there was a double of yourself running around, and what could you have done if you had?" Zero suddenly frowned, and looked at June. "How did Axl end up in that warehouse? Do you know?" June smiled, and nodded.

"Oddly enough, I do. Sheer, suck ass bad luck." June tapped her fingers against the arm of her chair, remembering. "She had just gotten evicted from her place on the west coast… some idiocy about zoning… and decided it was time for a change of scene. She packed up you, Rose, me and everything else and we started on a cross-country trip. You and Rose being baggage in tubes at the time. You were supposed to be the primary, Rose the backup… if things had gone according to plan, she would only have activated Rose after you died. Anyway, you and Rose were in separate moving vans. Yours broke down, so it was left behind while the driver tried to get it fixed." She grimaced. "And then… A Maverick attack hit that area. The van was found, later, but it was a gutted ruin. We assumed you were dead."

"Oh…" Axl blinked, remembering. "The warehouse I was found in was in a ruined city." He couldn't remember the name, but that had to be the place the van had broken down. June nodded.

"You were probably moved there when the van bust. We didn't dare go look, though. So anyway, Rose went from secondary to primary. You weren't ready to be activated anyway… I mean, physically you were fine, but she was trying to make you LOVE music. That's not easy to program in. Rose is the finished version."

"Music?" Axl was bemused by that revelation. He'd never touched an instrument in his life, and he didn't want to. "Why would she be so interested in that?" It seemed like such a useless skill, compared to fighting as a Maverick Hunter. And his creator had obviously been a pure genius with combat designs. Why bother with music? June hesitated.

"Um… this is a little Frankensteinish." Zero and Axl exchanged a glance, wondering what that could mean. "I mean, creation in a slightly creepy way. I mentioned that you and Rose both look related to her. Well, that was deliberate and it's more than skin deep. The DNA for your quasi-organic components, and the default setting on your DNA copying centres, is Dr. Kristina's son's DNA."

"Wh-what?" Axl blinked, startled. "Her son? What happened to him?" June shrugged.

"Damnfino. That was before my time. I just know she was obsessed with getting him back, so she was trying to make a Reploid substitute. Pretty much worked, too, with Rose. He even sounds the same… you don't. Your voice is too sweet." Axl was missing the rough burr that made Rose's voice sound adult despite it's tenor height. Axl sounded far too childlike. "Everything about you, your looks, your hair, your personality, is all modeled off of him."

"A human had hair like that?" Zero asked the ceiling, making Axl blush and June grin.

"Apparently. He was in a punk rock band before he died, and adored music more than life, if you believe Dr. Kristina." June hesitated, then looked at Axl. "Rose… didn't want to see you. That was probably healthy, to tell you the truth. You popping up like this was one hell of a shock." Axl winced, and nodded.

"We can go… I don't want to hurt him." That hurt, though, the thought of never getting to know his sibling. June pursed her lips, then made an uncertain gesture.

"Why don't I go talk to him and see what he wants? He might-" June looked up, startled, as the door opened and Rose stepped inside.

Rose looked like crap. It was a dramatic change from the happy, energetic youngster playing his guitar. Now, he looked damp as a used Kleenex and unhappy as a wet kitten. Rose hesitantly stepped forward, looking at Axl.

"I'm sorry…" He said wretchedly. "I shouldn't have… I just… remembered…" June stood, and touched his shoulder.

"It's alright, Rose. I already told them why. You want to take a seat?" Rose nodded, and sat down heavily beside her. June kept her hand on his shoulder, looking at him carefully. "Rose… what do you want with this?" He would know what she meant. He hadn't wanted to hunt down Axl, but Axl had looked him up, so now they both had a choice to make. To go their separate ways… or to really become brothers. Rose hugged his knees to his chest, looking more like a child than ever.

"I don't know June… I'm not sure how I feel about it." He said softly, and June pursed her lips. Axl looked ready to say something, then bit his lip. Zero finally broke the silence, and surprisingly, he took the practical approach.

"Well, you guys have to cut a record and we've got a vacation to enjoy. So why don't you think about it and we'll look you up before we leave?" Rose looked at Zero, surprised, then grateful.

"I'd appreciate that." He really didn't know what his decision would be.

* * *

"So, how was your vacation?" X asked his two friends, sipping his coffee. They'd both just made it back from Vegas, and Zero was looking smug while Axl seemed a little… stunned.

"Oh, it was great X! You really should have come. No strippers, no cherries, a few X rated videos and Axl here lost his virginity but besides that-"

"Zero!" Axl protested, blushing bright red as Zero slapped him on the back with a grin.

"Hey, don't worry! It's a rite of passage. Now, at this point, you're supposed to tell X all about it and gloat that he didn't get any because he was too chicken to come." Zero said with a laugh as Axl blushed even more. His face was almost as red as his hair.

"I think I'll go drink my coffee somewhere else." X said to the room at large. But Zero snagged his arm, shaking his head.

"Not so fast… we also found out the dark secrets of Axl's creation." That stopped X, who blinked in surprise.

"Really?"

"Yeah, he was created by Martians and sent to take over the planet." X sighed, reaching for his coffee again. "Okay, okay, I'm joking. He was created by a Dr. Kristina to take the place of her dead son. And he was lost in a Maverick attack, so she made a total duplicate of him." X glanced at Axl, who nodded solemnly.

"Really? Is that duplicate here?" X was quite curious to see him. But Zero shook his head.

"No, he's the lead in a really hot, up and coming rock band. They got a gig, and couldn't really turn it down, but he should be showing up sometime this month. He tried to kill Axl at first, but he seems to be over it." Zero paused for a moment, frowning. "Oh yeah. The girl with him, June, was Dr. Kristina's lab assistant. Maybe Gate, Dr. Cain and all the other science weenies should talk to her." Gate had finally been roused from his coma, and had joined Hunter HQ as a researcher. And all the scientists would be interested in speaking to someone who had worked deeply on the DNA copying system. Even though Reploids were being built with it, it was only partially understood. Much like X's design. The new DNA copying Reploids worked, but often in unexpected ways.

"They'll certainly enjoy that. I'll mention it to them." X tilted his head. "She wouldn't have Axl's program key, would she?" Axl's eyes widened, and Zero looked a little puzzled.

"How'd you know? Until she mentioned it, I'd never heard of keys like that." Zero frowned. "Are you holding out on me?" X snorted at the thought.

"Hardly! You just don't listen to the science weenies. Axl's systems are seriously protected from scans and encrypted as well. There's a slot where some sort of key should go, but we've never been able to really crack the protections… the researchers will be very interested in seeing that key." X knew that was a bit of an understatement. Once they found out about it, they'd want to kidnap the woman to get here there immediately. Especially after all the troubles with Lumine.

Some people were beginning to suspect the DNA copying centres they'd managed to create from examining Axl were drastically flawed. This would give them the answer.

"Well, she'll be here with Rose in a week or two. So what's been happening around HQ while we were gone?" Zero asked. X went with the change of subject, giving them both the latest news.

No matter how much the scientists wanted June, they would have to wait for a while.


	4. Chapter 4

"Another lab," June said with a sigh. "And here I'd thought I'd sworn off them."

"Well, you'll have to endure another for a while," X said with a friendly smile. He was escorting June, Axl and Rose to the science lab. June blinked in surprise as they entered… Gate, Lifesaver, and all the other great scientists of the base were there. She'd been expecting a few people, sure, but not all the great names. She could recognize most of them… despite her commitment to music, she kept up with developments in her earlier field.

"What's all this, then?" She said, confused, then a schematic on one of the screens caught her eye. "Oh, how cute, Tripwire 2." Then she noticed another. "And Tripwire 1. Where's 3 and 4?"

"Tripwire?" Gate said, confused, and June shrugged. Great names or not, she wasn't going to let herself be intimidated.

"You know, booby trap. So where's the real schematic?" She was expecting it to be up. There was a long pause.

"That is the schematic we are using." Gate finally said as the other scientists started to look alarmed. Lifesaver was frowning at June severely. She raised an eyebrow skeptically.

"Oh, can't be. Really, where's the real one?" She glanced around at their expressions, then paled. "You couldn't have fallen for Tripwire 2. This is a joke, right?"

"Why don't you explain to us about these Tripwires?" Dr. Cain said gently. June swallowed hard, then nodded.

"Okay. Rose, get on the bench." Rose obediently lay down on a table, and June quickly opened his chest, revealing the slot for her program key. "Anyone got a cord?" Soon, she had the key plugged into Rose, then plugged into the computer. At first, the screen was black, then a logo suddenly spun out… a stylized K surrounded by a ring of posies. Then a login screen appeared, and she quickly entered the system. "Okay, you got your Tripwire 1." She slapped a schematic up on one of the monitors. "Tripwire 2." Another monitor came on. "Tripwire 3." Yet a third schematic came into existence. "And Tripwire 4." A forth monitor blinked on. "Each progressively subtler. They're designed to make you think you've finally found the right one, but still, I thought you guys would have more sense. And here… is the real thing." A final schematic popped up, and several scientists immediately crowded around it. Gate was regarding each schematic carefully, comparing them with each other. Each one was subtly different. Gate frowned as he realized that the main alteration in Tripwire 2 was what had been giving many of the copying Reploids problems…

"What is this change meant to do?" He touched the offending system, and June shrugged.

"Kill, what else? The Tripwires were designed to totally feeb with the Mavericks, if they ever got hold of Axl or Rose. That one'll cause mental instability and death. Check this out…" Everyone turned to watch as she started running a program. "One month later." They could see the schematic starting to slowly change. "Three months later." The change was becoming more pronounced and beginning to look unstable. "Six months later." Massive instability was clear… and as they watched, the entire DNA copying center shut down. For a Reploid built with it, that was death. "And Kristina was totally wicked with this… if you try to patch any of the Tripwire problems, you unleash the Easter Eggs."

"Easter Eggs," Gate prompted, as many of the scientists went from looking worried to looking sick. It had never occurred to anyone that Axl's scans might be complicated booby traps.

"Virii and worm programs." June answered, looking up at him. "This one, Easter Egg 2, causes random disruptions and freezes. It's not lethal, but you can't remove it without taking out the whole copying system." Someone in the audience groaned. She was describing the other problem they had been having. June looked around at all of them. "This whole thing was wickedly clever, really. Enough encryption of each one that it looks like you've really made a breakthrough, but each schematic is layered on the other…" June trailed off, wincing. "I just assumed you guys would've been warier. I mean, you knew about Red Alert!"

"We thought there was only one false schematic," Gate said, reaching up to rub the gem in his helmet. "…Shit." Everyone was startled at that obscenity, from Gate.

Everyone was feeling the same way, though. This was very grim news. All the Reploids with the next generation copy centres would have to be recalled, and no one had ever attempted to do such a thing before. Still, now that they understood what the problem was, there might be a way to fix it without removing the copying centres.

"Can this problem be patched without unleashing the Easter Egg?" Gate asked June, who looked pensive.

"I really don't know… maybe. I'm not a big shot at this, you understand, just a lab assistant. But I can show you how the Easter Egg operates."

"Please."

Axl, meanwhile, was watching with a blank, shocked expression. X winced as he saw how Axl was looking at the monitors, down at his brother, then at his own hands…

"It was my fault… my fault all along…" X heard as he stepped closer to Axl. "I killed them…"

"Axl, no." X gently touched Axl's shoulder. "It wasn't your fault your creator booby-trapped your systems… or that we triggered those traps." Axl looked up at X, horror in his eyes.

"But I was… was like poisoned candy, X! All my friends… Red… it was my schematic that drove them insane! And everything that's happened afterwards… Lumine…"

"Axl…" X gently held Axl close, letting the younger Reploid get rid of the grief, the pain. Axl sobbed, closing his eyes tightly.

Neither one of them noticed Rose watching, from the table, with a wistful look on his face…

* * *

The next day, there was a mini-mutiny in the lab.

"I'm not going to lie down for you all day! What do you think I am, anyway, a cheap whore? Let me OFF this table!" Rose was entirely fed up with being a guinea pig. "I was supposed to be doing some brother bonding, here! Eating chips and drinking cheap beer while we watch soccer, not stuck on a lab table!"

"That's your idea of fun?" June said with a snort. "Oh shut up, Rose. Put out like a good little techno-whore."

"Not funny, June!" Rose snarled, less than amused. "Can't you just download the schematics onto the Hunter system?"

"Hmm… maybe." June looked doubtful, though, and snagged Gate. "What are the codes on this thing?" Soon, they were working on transferring the data. It took some time to get the access on Rose's end… June had rarely used those passcodes, so she had to wrack her brain. But eventually, they managed it. "Alright, Rose. Hold on and you'll be able to go." June closed down the interface, and unplugged Rose from the machines. Rose jumped up with a relieved expression.

"Alright!" He dashed out, intent on finding Axl. However, that was easier said than done. The Hunter HQ was very large, and soon Rose was hopelessly lost. But after asking for directions several times, he found his way to a lounge.

Axl was there, curled up on a sofa watching TV. But he was looking extremely depressed. Rose tilted his head to one side, and quietly walked into the room.

"Axl?" Rose queried him softly, and Axl slowly looked up. He was expressionless, now, but his eyes were desolate.

"Rose?" Axl blinked slowly. "They let you out of the lab?" Rose snorted, and plopped down beside his brother.

"Yeah, after I put up a stink. Darn techno-weenies." That won a smile out of Axl, but it was small and brief. "What's wrong with you?"

"Oh… nothing. Just thinking." Axl said, and Rose cocked an eyebrow at him, then flipped his legs up and rested his feet in Axl's lap.

"Don't think so hard, your brain might explode." He advised the startled Hunter. "That's what June always tells me, anyway." That made Axl smile, more naturally, before he shoved Rose's feet off his lap. The singer pouted, then sat up straight, his expression turning serious. "Axl? I thought we were going to get to know each other better?" That was hard to do with Axl depressed. Axl blinked, then revived a bit more, giving Rose a friendly smile.

"That's right… why don't we go see if Zero's free, and we could all go to the Cabana?" Axl suggested, making Rose tilt his head to one side.

"The Cabana? What's that?" Axl blushed slightly at that innocent question.

"We-ell… it's my favorite place. It's a really awesome cream parlor that sells CANDY. More candy than you could imagine! All different types!" Axl said happily, and Rose grinned.

"Sounds delicious!" Rose said happily. "And maybe we could visit a nightclub after?"

"Sure!" Axl was suddenly feeling a lot better. In his pain over the revelations about Red Alert and his own systems, he had forgotten the most important thing about finding his brother… he had a brother!

It was time to get to know him.

* * *

The Cabana had obviously been built with a seaside theme in mind. There was bamboo piping along the walls, cut at varying lengths, and above them were very bright, cheerful pictures, seashells on strings, and even a few sand dollars. The chairs were all well padded with something that resembled red leather, but was actually a plush synthetic. A curtain made of beads separated the ice cream parlor from the candy shop, but it was common for a customer to venture of there, and come back with a bag to enjoy along with their ice cream.

Right now, the two Axl's were sitting on the stools at the ice cream bar, drinking milkshakes. Zero was beside them, eating a large dish of ice cream, but for once he wasn't attracting a great deal of attention. The sight of the two identical, cute kids sitting and drinking ice cream was attracting more than a few glances. Rose turned to wink at a pair of young human girls, who giggled and whispered to each other, grinning. Axl blushed, looking into his ice cream.

"I feel so freakish…" He hadn't realized how strange it would be, walking around with his brother. Reploids just weren't made to be completely identical like this. Rose blinked at him, then grinned.

"Axl, you're not thinking of the positives," Rose chided him. "I bet we could score with them, if we really wanted" That made Axl blush even more, and Zero grinned.

"He's right, you know. Guys aren't the only ones who fascinate about twins, you know!" Axl choked, and hopped off his stool.

"I, uh, think I'll go get some candy…" He beat a hasty retreat to the other part of the store, making Rose blink after him.

"Gee, is he shy? I'm not…" If he ever had been, his experiences with being in a fairly popular, up and coming band had burnt it out of him. They weren't popular enough to have hordes of admiring fans, but they had enough. Zero shrugged.

"He can be pretty shy with girls. Don't worry, the candy will calm him down." Zero was sure of that… they'd had heavy discussions at the ice cream parlor before, with candy to make things easier. Axl had an immense sweet tooth.

"Candy?" Rose said, musingly. "I hardly ever eat candy. Mostly potato chips." Zero blinked, a bit taken aback by that revelation. It was definitely very different from Axl.

Sure enough, though, Axl came back beaming with several bags of candy… caramels, sea salt toffee and chocolate covered peanuts. He hopped up on the stool, then opened the bags.

"Want to try some?" He offered them to Rose, as Zero swiped several caramels. Rose hesitated, then shrugged good-naturedly.

"Sure, why not?" He tried a sea salt toffee, peeling off the wrapper and popping it into his mouth. Then he blinked. "Hey, this is good!"

"Don't sound so surprised," Zero said teasingly, making Rose blush. "Axl knows his candy. So! What's it like, being a rock star?"

"Oh, I'm not a rock star yet… although I want to be!" Rose grinned. "Although it's more pop. But really, the touring and stuff can get awfully wearing, especially for a new band like us."

"Oh yeah?" Zero asked, interested. To him and Axl, the business of being a pop star was interesting and rather glamorous. "How so?" Rose continued, more than willing to talk about it.

"Yeah, we have to travel a LOT. All the time, everywhere, in our van. And we're not that good yet, so we don't have roadies, and except where the venue supplies 'em we have to put up and take down our own equipment. That can be a real pain. And the van is CROWDED." Rose sighed. "Sometimes it can be a real pain. So, what's it like to be a Hunter?"

"Oh, it's great!" Axl said happily. He started chattering happily about life at Hunter HQ, with Zero interjecting an occasional comment. "…And it feels so good, knowing you've helped people!"

"Oh…" Rose almost sighed. "Sometimes, I think I should be doing that too… I'm pretty good at fighting, I've even killed a few Mavericks. But… I love my music."

"Music helps people too," Zero pointed out. "Especially now. They need as much to get their spirits up as they can get." Axl nodded solemnly. The general population was getting used to the stress of constant Maverick attacks, but nothing could make it easy on them. And the whole business with Elysium had been extremely painful, although the world was past it now.

"Aw, you make me feel so special!" Rose polished off his milkshake, then checked the content of Axl's. "Just about done… is there a good nightclub we could go to nearby?" It was starting to get a bit late, and Rose wanted to experience some of the local night scene.

"Sure, there's a really good one only a couple blocks from here." Zero stood up, shaking out his hair. "Let's go."

It was time for some serious fun.


End file.
